New Citroen C5 X and new C5 Aircross get IMPROVED PHEV powertrain

Citroen has upgraded the plug-in hybrid powertrain in both the C5 X and C5 Airross to offer an improved EV range.

EV anoraks condemn plug-in hybrids as the worst of both worlds, and that’s not helped by the bonkers official economy figures proclaiming three-figure mpg when, in the real world, you don’t have a prayer of achieving them.

But the reality is that PHEVs can offer an ideal solution for drivers wary of committing to a full EV, allowing local running on electric power and an ICE for longer trips.

So the news that Citroen has improved the PHEV powertrain in both the C5 X and C5 Aircross is good news for pragmatic drivers who don’t want to rely on a still rather flakey public EV charging network, but still wasn’t to travel without emissions in towns and cities.

The recently updated C5 Aircoss – Citroen’s take on the Peugeot 3008 – now comes with an increased EV range of up to 41 miles – an improvement sufficient to drop BIK liability from 12 per cent to 8 per cent – thanks to a new generation battery pack of 14.2kWh.

The C5 X – Citroen’s ‘all-things-to-all-men’ car – has to make do with the same 12.4kWh battery as before, but the improved minimum charge threshold means EV range improves to 39 miles.

Small improvements, but welcome.